NHL roundup: Maple Leafs edge Canadiens in opener

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Toronto’s Colton Orr kneels over George Parros after the Montreal winger fell and hit his head on the ice during their third-period fight.

Associated Press
October 02, 2013

Tyler Bozak scored a shorthanded goal and Mason Raymond netted the winner in his first game with the Maple Leafs as Toronto spoiled the Montreal Canadiens’ home opener with a 4-3 win Tuesday at the Bell Centre.

James van Riemsdyk and Dion Phaneuf also scored in a fight-filled game in which Montreal’s new enforcer George Parros was carried off on a stretcher after a bout. Toronto’s Colton Orr pulled Parros down during the fight 2:34 into the third period, and the Canadiens forward’s face crashed into the ice.

Orr had fallen and pulled down Parros, who was bleeding and looked woozy. Trainers from both teams spent several minutes treating him.

The Canadiens said Parros sustained a concussion, but was alert and conscious and undergoing more tests at a hospital.

Lars Eller’s second goal of the game with 2:22 left brought the Canadiens within 4-3.

Toronto was on a two-man advantage when van Riemsdyk partially fanned on a shot at the side of the net, and the puck slid between Carey Price’s pads 8:01 into the game.

The teams were each down a man when Raphael Diaz set up Eller for a goal at 10:08. Toronto was caught on a 3-on-1 when Eller fed Brendan Gallagher at 13:54 for a 2-1 lead.

Phaneuf tied it 8:36 into the second on a wrist shot inside the far post. It was the 19,000th goal in Leafs history.

Bozak put Toronto ahead at 17:39 when he poked the puck away from defenseman Andrei Markov at the point and went in on a break to beat Price to the stick side.

Raymond, playing his first regular-season game for Toronto, finished a give-and-go with Troy Bodie 5:10 into the third.

Blackhawks 6, Capitals 4 — Brandon Saad, Johnny Oduya, and Marian Hossa scored in the third period as Chicago kicked off its Stanley Cup title defense with a victory over visiting Washington.

Patrick Kane, Brent Seabrook and Brandon Bollig also scored for Chicago. Corey Crawford made 28 saves, including a couple of huge stops when the Blackhawks killed off a late 5-on-3 power play.

Mikhail Grabovsky had a hat trick and an assist and Alex Ovechkin had a goal and an assist, but the Capitals dropped their opener for the second straight season.

Grabovski had consecutive power-play goals in the third, lifting Washington to a 3-2 lead with 14:44 left. But Saad finished a beautiful give-and-go with Michal Handzus, and Oduya converted a long slap shot at 13:53 to put the Blackhawks ahead to stay.

Jets 5, Oilers 4 — Michael Frolik scored twice, including the winner at 14:58 of the third period, to lift Winnipeg to a season-opening victory in Edmonton.